This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.
Lebanon County Commissioners on March 6 unanimously approved holding a Passport Acceptance Day on Saturday, March 22.
The Lebanon County Sheriff’s Office will also be open those same hours that day to process applications for the Pennsylvania license to carry firearms permit.
Commissioners voted to allow up to nine county employees in the prothonotary’s office to work four hours of overtime to assist individuals looking to get a passport.
Barbara Smith, pronthothary, said office hours will be from 8 a.m. until noon. Interested individuals only need to walk into the prothonotary’s office in Room 104 of the Lebanon County Municipal Building, 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon.
Smith said there’s a reason her office is open on a Saturday one day annually for this event, which will include an individual from the clerks of court office and two Spanish interpreters to assist applicants.
“It’s been successful in the past, this will be our fifth time of having a Passport Acceptance Day,” Smith said. “We get very many positive comments from the public. Due to schedules, children in school, parents working, it’s just a walk in, no appointment necessary.”
A press release provided to the media noted that all persons applying for a passport must appear in person.
Individuals seeking a passport must:
- Bring along a passport application filled out in black ink. Applications are available at the prothonotary’s office.)
- Bring an original birth certificate that includes parent’s names and a raised seal or naturalization certificate.
- Present an old passport that is expired five years or longer.
- Have a driver’s license or ID card with a photo. Children 15 years and younger need both parents to be present with their photo IDs. Children 16 or 17 need one parent to be present with their photo ID.
- Bring or obtain a passport photo, which is available at that office for $10.
The following fees are payable to the U.S. Department of State and must be in the form of a check or money order (cash is not accepted for the cost of the passport):
- Passport book: 16 years and older: $130; Passport card: $30
- Passport book: 15 years and younger: $100; Passport card: $15
There is also a $35 processing fee for each application, which is payable to the Lebanon County prothonotary. Smith noted this payment may be cash, check, or money order, and processing fees for multiple passports may be combined into that payment, which is separate from the one made to the U.S. Department of State.
There is no processing fee for active or retired military personnel.
Smith said there are some extenuating circumstances for these rules, and individuals who have questions should contact her office at 717-228-4418.
Hotel Tax Grants
Commissioners approved three hotel tax grant requests for organizations and the promotion of tourist-related events. Each organization was approved to receive $5,000 grants each from a tax that’s collected for hotel stays in the Lebanon Valley.
The Pennsylvania Chautauqua Foundation will receive $5,000 to help cover its $12,200 budget for the 51st edition of the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show, scheduled for Aug. 16-17. Their application noted that the Placer.ai data program owned by Visit Lebanon Valley showed that 1,622 visitors from a 50- to 250-mile radius attended the two-day event in 2024.
Mount Gretna School of Art received a $5,000 grant toward a total project cost of $15,000 to run its seven- to eight-week artist-in-residence programs over the summer. Their application noted the expenses are directly related to tourism since participants travel from outside the Lebanon Valley and contribute significantly for an extended period to the local economy through spending on lodging, dining, shopping, and cultural tourism.
The 11th annual Spinstock Flow Arts Festival will be held at Coleman Memorial Park on Saturday, June 14. Their $5,000 grant will be used to advertise the event extensively throughout Pennsylvania, according to their tax grant application. Flow arts is defined to describe movement-based disciplines including dance, juggling, and object manipulation.
In other county business, commissioners voted unanimously to:
- Execute a land transfer agreement for $1 for a property on the east side of North Market Street in Heidelberg Township for construction of an emergency communications tower for the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services. As part of that deal, commissioners also approved payment of $906.95 from ARPA funding for fees associated with the project. The fee covers recording costs, realty transfer tax and notary public fees.
- Send a letter of support for a new housing project proposed by the Lebanon County Housing Collaborative.
- Approve first- and second-quarter invoices for fiscal year 2024-25 for Children and Youth Services, totaling $3,610,504.25 and $4,064,918.22, respectively.
- Submit a PCoRP loss prevention grant for the purchase of a transport leg brace kit and two 10-pound locking leg weights for the Lebanon County Sheriff’s Department. Cost is $824. The application will also include a renewal of the Guardian contact, which includes the upgrade of software and equipment for the Lebanon County Correctional Facility. The cost for this portion of the grant is $7,257 for a total grant application of $8,081.
- Name Bonnie Loy as chairman of the Lebanon County’s America250 committee and add Doug and Rachel Etter to the committee.
- Provide real estate tax exemptions for eight fully disabled veterans or their families.
- Appoint Joshua Killian to fill a vacancy on the Governor Dick Board created by the passing of Tom Harlan. Killian will fill the rest of Harlan’s term, which runs through June 30. Harlan’s and board member Dave Eichler’s positions are up for reelection in June.
- Accept the minutes of their Feb. 20 meeting, the treasurer’s report and various personnel transactions.
The Lebanon County Commissioners meet the first and third Thursday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in Room 207 of the county municipal building, 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Become a LebTown member.
Cancel anytime.
Monthly
🌟 Annual
- Fewer ads
- Member newsletters
- Exclusive events
- All monthly benefits
- Most popular option
- Make a bigger impact
Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages
Our community deserves strong local journalism. LebTown delivers in-depth coverage of Lebanon County that helps you navigate daily life and stay informed about what matters most. Join our community of supporters with a monthly or annual membership to fuel more local reporting. Cancel anytime.
